Baghlan candidates want transfer of ballot boxes to Kabul for recount

PUL-I-KHUMRI (Pajhwok): Some candidates in northern Baghlan province have lost their trust on the provincial Independent Election Commission (IEC) in the votes recount and demanded the process to be conducted in capital Kabul.

They warned to block the north highway and close the IEC office if their demand was ignored.

Maulvi Abdul Hadi Naadem, one of the protesting candidates, said Baghlan IEC office lacked the capability and credibility of votes recount.

“Earlier IEC pledged not to count fraudulent votes but now we have received information that all votes of powerful individuals were being counted and this is not acceptable to us,” he said.

He did not named any candidate, but stressed ballot boxes in Tala Wa Barafak, Andarab and Khost districts had been stuffed and the candidates of mentined areas had been stressing over recount in Baghlan IEC office.

Maulvi Naadem added they offered the election body two days deadline to accept the demand of over 40 protesting candidates.

Another protesting candidate Abdul Sammad Poya said in line with the commitment of IEC, fraudulent and original votes should be separated, but now all votes were being counted.

“We will block the north highway and IEC office if the ballot boxes not transferred to Kabul for recount of votes tomorrow,” he warned.

Abdul Qadir Wahab, head of the IEC for Baghlan, said the election body was fully capable of vote recount but accused the candidates on putting off the process.

“I shared the demands of protesting candidates and I am personally happy over the transfer of ballot boxes to Kabul,” he said.